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Saturday, May 30, 2015

For most parents, it sort of sends a chill down the spine. A little feeling of anxious anticipation/terror. The dreaded terrible twos.

This time around, for me, two years old is going to be great. Of course, that's because it's my book that is two, not a toddler.

Two years ago, late on a Thursday night, I hit the publish button, and Good Intentions was released into the world. It was so not ready. It had a horrible cover. It needed more editing. But it was out there.

I need to admit something. Like most new parents, I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I thought I had researched. Turns out, it was not nearly enough. You know, like you read What to Expect When You're Expecting cover to cover, but then have no idea what to do with the actual baby. Yeah, that was me.

I'd like to think I've learned. That I've improved my skill. That I now know where and when to ask for help. The last two years have been amazing. When I hit publish, I wanted to sell four books to recoup the cost of the terrible, terrible cover that I'd created. That was it. Then I got into paperbacks and marketing, and the expenses rose. It was okay. According to the IRS, I have three years to start making a profit before this is just considered a hobby. I never expected to sell books. I never expected people I didn't know to read my books. I never expected people to like my writing. I never expected to be a writer.

I didn't know what to expect.

I love having a creative outlet. I feel I'm so much happier, no matter what is going on in my life. I have a way to process and deal and escape. The part of writing that has been the best for me is the people. I am thankful everyday for the great people I have met--the writers, bloggers, fans (yes, I even have a few fans!).

I know I put acknowledgments in my books, but these thanks need to be said often and loudly. This whole process never would have taken off if not for the constant support from my best friend, Michele Vagianelis. If you're observant, you will notice there's a Michele in every book. That's because none of my books would happen without Michele.

My husband has been my quiet support. I think my writing surprised him as much as it did me, and he's expressed surprise that I've stuck with it. That being said, he's come up with a long term plan for my writing, and is supporting me in getting there. My kids are great, wanting to know my progress, sitting next to me while I'm writing, and even beginning to write themselves. That is one of the best rewards.

The ladies (and gents) of my internet writing groups, ChickLitChatHQ and Writing Wenches, are just the best ever. From all corners of the globe, at all hours of the night, I can count on support, help, and someone who gets what I'm going through.

My local writing group, Albany NaNoWriMo, has been so cool to hang out with on Sunday nights. With school winding down and a new project starting up, I'll be at Denny's again soon!

Becky Monson has become not only my cover designer, marketing guru, and sounding board, but one of my closest friends. Not a day goes by when we don't talk, and she is primarily responsible for setting me on the path to success.

Aven Ellis, Jayne Denker, Celia Kennedy, and Tracy Krimmer are other fantastic writers who share my journey, my struggles, and boost me up along the way. They let me bother them at all hours with questions and need for opinions.

My editor, Karen Pirozzi, has spared me from the embarrassment of typo after typo, error after error. If you bought Good Intentions when it was first released, it was before Karen helped me out. She makes my books so much better.

So many other people have helped along the way: Cahren Morris, Sue Rys, Amy Buser, Chrissy Wolfe, and last but not least, my mom, Mary Rose Kopach. These ladies read and critique, and help me put out the best possible book that I can.

To everyone who has purchased my books, told their friends, left a review, sent me a message, THANK YOU. Thank you for making the past two years even better than I could have imagined.

(By the way, I think I've finally settled on a cover. Which one is your favorite?)

So, cheers! Here's to another two great years!

P.S.--Good Intentions is only $0.99 to celebrate its birthday, and stay tuned for more book news in the near future!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Congratulations to my friend Glynis Astie, on the release of her third book, French Fry!

Let me tell you about French Fry first (and say that five times fast):

Sydney Durand had finally achieved the perfect life she had
always wanted. After a whirlwind romance with a charming Frenchman, she endured
the three weddings it required to satisfy the members of the newly formed
Bennett-Durand clan. All she had left to do was stroll into the sunset with
Louis to enjoy their long-awaited happily ever after.

But everything changed when the stick turned blue. Suddenly,
Sydney finds herself facing the daunting task of becoming a mother before she
has even returned home from her honeymoon. Keeping a tenacious hold on her
hard-won happiness, Sydney is determined not to give up without a fight – no
matter what or who is thrown in her path…and that includes an overbearing
mother-in-law, a know-it-all father and her own anxiety about having a baby.

Will she finally be able to tame her neuroses for the sake of
her unborn child? Or will her hormone-induced panic cause a meltdown of epic
proportions? One thing is clear: Sydney and Louis’ nerves are going to fry…

Sounds interesting, right? French Fry is the third installment of the French Twist Series (French Twist, French Toast), which chronicles the whirlwind romance and marriage of Sydney and Louis.But wait, there's more! It's GIVEAWAY time! Glynis is also doing a giveaway this week! Head over to Book Mama Blog to enter. Here are the details and don't forget to enter! Giveaway begins on 5/13/15 at 12:01 AM and ends on 5/20/15 at 11:59 PM. Three prizes will be awarded:

Glynis never expected in her wildest dreams to
be a writer. After thirteen years in the Human Resources Industry, she decided
to stay at home with her two amazing sons. Ever in search of a project, she was
inspired to write the story of how she met and married her wonderfully romantic
French husband, Sebastien, in six short months. The end result became her first
novel, French Twist. As this was just
the beginning of their epic love story, Glynis continued to chronicle their
adventures in the sequel, French Toast
and the final installment in the series, French
Fry.

When Glynis is not writing, she is trying to
keep the peace amongst the three men and two cats in her life, finding missing
body parts (Lego pieces are small!), supervising a myriad of homework assignments
and keeping a tenuous hold on her sanity by consuming whatever chocolate is in
the vicinity.

"Underneath, when she lets her guard down, she's soft and vulnerable. Like her skin."

Does that make you oooh and aaaah with anticipation? Do you want to know what's going on here? I'll give you a sneak peek inside.

Kaitlin has abandoned Declan in the airport. They had just met a few hours ago, but had spent a great afternoon together. Perhaps they drank a little more than they should. Declan felt the connection with Kaitlin immediately, so why did she disappear? He knows there's more to her than what she presents at first, and he wants to find out what makes her tick.

If you'd like to get a sneak peek at what other authors have on page 45, check out the links below. There's a prize too!

GRAND PRIZE

A one-pound package of caramels from Whitney's Goodies Winner can
choose their flavor from those listed below.

Always a Lady (Rose Caramels):
A delicate bouquet of rose essence infuses this lovely caramel:
alluring, tantalizing and reminiscent of another era. They are perfect for
weddings and bridal showers. A definite for ladies who lunch or breakfast at
Tiffany’s.

(Personal note: I won some of the Creme Caramels from Whitney once. I hid the package from my family and ate them all myself. Yes, they are that good.)

HOW TO ENTER

To enter, answer the following question in the comments section below.

"In 4 or 5 words, why do you think Jump, Jive, and Wail would be a good read?"

Entrants must leave their full name, along with an e-mail address (no e-mail, no caramels). A winner will be chosen via Random.org on Tuesday, May
19th. Visiting the blogs below (and leaving a comment) will give you 36 chances to win these scrumptious caramels!

And if this has been enough of a teaser for Jump, Jive, and Wailto pique your interest, feel free to check it out! It's available on all the major e-reader outlets (Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Kobo, & Smashwords), and is just $0.99 through May 17! It is also available in paperback.

In order to celebrate International Chick Lit month, my latest main character has found herself entered in the Miss Chick Lit 2015 contest. She's not the most girly of girls, so this should be interesting. Read on to see how she represents herself, and for a chance to win a prize yourself!

Hi, my name is Kaitlin Reynolds, and I'm representing the great state of, um, New York. No, Utah. Oh crap, I live in Michigan now. I'm representing the great state of Michigan. I'm a twenty-nine year-old former ski jumper who now spends her time pining after unavailable Olympic figure skaters. My dream is to one day improve the real estate market in Detroit so I can sell my condo. Oh, and world peace.

For my entry in the swimsuit compet--wait, I've got to put on a swimsuit for this thing? No one told me that. Nuts. You see, I'm a former athlete who may or may not have let herself go since an injury stopped her competitive career. This is going to be tough. I mean, I live in Michigan, so for the three weeks of summer we get, it's not worth torturing myself in the fitting room trying on bathing suits. Let me see what I can come up with ...

Oh, here we go. It's pretty much what I used to wear when I was ski jumping. I think this will work just fine.

Good, made it through that hurdle. What else is there in this competition? Talent. <smacks head> This might be even worse than the swimsuit thing. You see, I spent all my life as a ski jumper. I was world ranked until about two years ago, when a permanent injury sidelined me and left me with a foot drop. I have to wear a brace on my leg at all times now, so all of the things I used to be good at, I can no longer do. Where the %&$^ am I going to come up with a talent? Oh, that's right! I can swear like a truck driver. Okay everybody, listen to this: BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP!

Please don't bring it on. Um, if you had asked me two years ago, I would have said my mission in life is to win the first ever Olympic gold medal in Women's Ski Jumping. I've had a lot of trouble re-defining my life since then. Right now, my current mission is to find my mission. Oh, and world peace.

Oh, that's it? I'm all done? Now I just have to wait for the judging. And while we all anxiously await the outcomes, did you know that you can too be a beauty queen with this $100gift card?

The Grand Prize for this international drawing will be:

US/Canada winner - $100 gift card to Sephora

UK winner - £65 gift card to Lush Cosmetics

Australia winner - $125AUD to Mecca

In order to enter, all you have to do is respond to the Kaitlin's interview question:

If you had to define your mission in life, what
would it be?

Post your answer in the comment sections of this blog, along with your e-mail address (no e-mail address, no winner). Winners will be chosen at random on Monday, May 18, 2015.

The best part? Check out the other contestants in the Miss Chick Lit 2015 pageant by clicking on the blog links below. Answer their interview questions for additional chances to win (that's 19 chances in all!)

And if you're interested in finding out how Kaitlin recovers from her lost career, collides with the man of her dreams, and how swearing costs her a fortune, check out her adventures in my novel, Jump, Jive, and Wail.

Telling stories of resilient women

Writing women's fiction with a dabble of chick lit and a hint of romance. Everything but the kitchen sink.

Let Me Know What You Think!

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